Peng Cheng obtained his BSc, MSc and PhD from Nankai University in 1985, 1991 and 1994, respectively. Subsequently, he started his academic career at the same university and was appointed a full professor in 1996. From 1997–1999 he worked at Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination du CNRS as a visiting professor and at Texas A&M University as a postdoctoral research associate.